Artistry

Chloe drew this picture at Sunday School. It is a picture of our family. I am the one on the left with the BIG ears (what?) and Chloe is the one in the middle with the black hair. I am also loving Matt's hairstyle (on the right).

Chloe has a signature touch that she adds to all her pictures of Mommy and Daddy---a belly button. Notice how she doesn't have one? I am taking this as a hint that Mommy and Daddy need to lose some pounds from the middle.

Girl's Weekend

Matt is at a Por*sche autocross race in Massachusetts this weekend so Chloe and I are spending a Mommy/Daughter weekend together.

Friday I took Chloe to the Bro*nx Zoo. This is one of her favorite places to visit. We have a membership so it costs very little to go to the zoo--we get free parking and free entry to all the exhibits. I learned today that going to the zoo on a school day is definitely the time to visit. We had free reign of the zoo and zipped through all the exhibits. It was fantastic.

I must admit though that I spent more time people watching among the few people at the zoo. Fall has arrived and today was the first day that the mercury did not rise above 70. I loved seeing all the people in the combo summer/fall wardrobe---sweaters and flip-flops. REALLY? You brought out the sweaters but not shoes to cover your feet?

Saturday Chloe and I went apple-picking across the state line in NY. There was lots of activities for kids and Chloe went on a pony ride and got her face painted. Later that same day we went to our neighborhood block party and Chloe played all evening. She was thoroughly worn out and tired when all was said and done.

Sunday we waited for the return of Matt and planted some mums in the yard. Matt returned earlier than expected because the rent a cops at S*x Fla*gs in Massachusetts shut down the autocross with two hours remaining for no apparent reason than to shut it down. Chloe was happy to see her Daddy return.

What I Learned from My Garden

As fall approaches and the weather begins to cool, the vegetable garden I planted with Chloe is nearing the end of its production. Chloe and I harvested over 20 pounds of Roma tomatoes today and I sheared back the cherry tomatoes which are encroaching on the fence. While I was shearing the cherry tomatoes Chloe was planning a garden for Matt, telling me that Daddy needed his own garden too. I think we will just stick to the small garden we have now.

I do believe that Chloe has learned a great deal from the garden. We had a nice chat today about the life cycle of a tomato plant and what the purpose of the fruit and seeds are on the vine.

I've been blanching, skinning and freezing the Roma's so we can enjoy the bounty this winter. Anyone have any good tomato soup recipes?

As an homage to my garden--and a written record for myself of what to do and NOT to do---following is a list of what I have learned from my garden:

1. Six (6) cherry tomato plants are about five (5) too many for me. The children's gardening book that I took the vegetable recommendations from recommended six cherry tomato plants for the pizza garden. I don't know if the author was expecting us to make pizza for Pizza H*ut, but the six plants were out of control. I couldn't give the tomatoes away or fast enough. The cherry tomato carnage after shearing them back---
   
   

2. Roma tomatoes are great for sauces, cherry tomatoes are great for snacking and in salads. I need to cut back on the cherry tomatoes (see #1) and plant a juicier variety of tomato next year---hello, Jersey tomato.

3. According to Chloe, you should stop picking when the bowl gets heavy. By Chloe's calculation, you should stop picking after about 10 cherry tomatoes.

4. I didn't enjoy growing onions. I just put little spring onions in the ground and in a month I had big onions. I guess it was too easy. Of course, my husband did learn that they are called spring onions because they are pulled in the spring, before they get big. They aren't a different, special variety. I guess that was rewarding.

5. Skip the eggplant next year. We didn't like our variety.

6. Gardening with a child is fun. Chloe asked lots of questions and she is quite proud of her garden.
   
   
   

Porsche-rama

We've just returned from a weekend of Porsche racing at Pocono* Speedway in Pennsylvania where Matt competed in autocross. The entire family went and we camped near the racetrack in the RV. One of Matt's racing pals, Paul, camped with us. Needless to say, Chloe has a new pal.

We also got a new game for camping---ladder ball. That's all Chloe wanted to play. It was quite a hit with her.

ANNOUNCING...

we are adopting again (and again). We had a final phone interview Tuesday with our Ethiopia adoption agency that "officially" marked the beginning of our journey to Ethiopia for our son. It was the last hurdle to offically become clients and start the paperchase.

We are continuing with our China adoption no change in plans there). We hope to complete our Ethiopian adoption by spring 2009, thereby making our 3rd adoption our 2nd. You can follow along on our Ethiopian adoption journey and read about our decision-making process here.

Chloe's Presidential History

I am a former U.S. History teacher so it would only be logical that my daughter's dinner time placemat is of the President's of the United States. Nightly at dinner, Chloe will point to the Presidents and ask, "who's that?" and I tell her. Now, I give you Presidential History according to Chloe. I have to say in just the short time we have been talking about the president's she already far surpasses my 8th graders in presidential knowledge. Can you name the first 5 presidents in order (its a required skill on the Texas Ass!essment of Knowled!ge and Skills in 8th grade).

It's not on the video, but tonight at dinner I was telling Chloe that Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and I began quoting it for her. I got to "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that....", when Chloe interrupted to say, "NO, all men and girls are created equal". Smart cookie that one.

Back to School

Chloe outside her pre-school getting ready to enter for the first day of school.

Chloe concentrates as she pours her own juice during snack-time, a new expectation in the four-year-olds class.

Chloe creating a self-portrait.

Chloe began school today. We are beginning to get the slightest hint of fall in the air and it was a beautiful, crisp day to start school.

Chloe is very excited about this school year. She is now the oldest in the pre-school and she thinks that is dyno-mite! She is only going to class two days this week for an hour and a half. Next week begins the typical 4-day a week schedule. Since this was the first day and the school is a cooperative school, the mother's attend the class with their child. I walked Chloe into class this morning and wasn't in the room for two minutes when Chloe asked, "Mom, why are you still here"? Despite her protests, I stuck around as expected.

I couldn't be happier about her pre-school teacher this year. I think it is going to be an awesome year. Her teacher has taught 4-year olds for 18 years at Chloe's pre-school and you can just tell she understands 4-year olds and has a system that works. This was a BIG relief to see as I was not pleased with Chloe's pre-school teacher last year. One mother turned to me during today's class and said, "I feel [my child] has learned more in this class today than he did all of last year." Her teacher this year is very creative, hands-on and organized.

Chloe also began tap/ballet today at a new dance school. I switched Chloe to a dance school in our community from the school where she took last year in a nearby town. Her best pal is also in class with her so she is very excited about dance as well--mostly the end of year dance recital.

On the way to dance this afternoon, Chloe asked if I had to stay at dance too. I told her I would and her response was, "No mom, don't stay at dance. Go run errands by yourself." Gee, thanks. I am starting to get the feeling that she doesn't want me around. She then added, "Just make sure to pick me up." Like I can forget about her! My response was, "Chloe, Mommy has always picked you up on time. I have never forgotten about you---Mommy always comes back." Of course, I added the last line thinking she was worried that I would forget her. Chloe's response to that statement? "Mom, why do you always say that? I know you always come back. I just want you to leave and come back today. That's all." Yes, it was a heartwarming mother-daughter moment.

Oh, and by the way, against Chloe's wishes, I didn't leave dance...I sat on the couch outside the door to her room and emailed Matt from my Black*erry.

Guess Who?

Coming up for Air

I am coming up for some air from underneath the massive pile of laundry I have had in my basement for weeks. I am happy to report that it is now complete and I can get about organizing the rest of my house.

Today Chloe helped me go through her toys and clear out some of the items she does not play with. Of course, once she "rediscovers" a toy it means she must play with it right then. However, once I showed her that she usually had multiples of each toy (like play phones, play cameras, etc.) she got to pick one that she wanted to keep. Once we completed Chloe's toy stash, she got to help Mommy do the same with her own possessions.

With all that done, I must say it is truly sweet to see that Chloe remembers who gave her special toys. She remembers that Aunt Deanna gives her neat puzzles, Nana gives her the America*n G*rl doll clothes and dolls, BeBe gives her the ladybug items and pencils & pens and that PaPaw gives her updates on her chickens. Most importantly, she reminded me today that Mommy & Daddy give her toys at Christmas (oh, and she wanted to know when Christmas would be coming).

In the meantime, I leave you with some photos of last week's soccer camp Chloe attended. She was a very good listener and kicked the ball with her feet and didn't use her hands---she was very proud.

**I know how small these photos are. I am working on them. A friend took them and sent them via Shu*terf*y who are now holding the photos ransom. **

A Visit To One of My Favorite Places (In Pictures)

Camping this past summer has enabled us to find areas that we love to visit. Matt, Chloe and I have discovered the Catskill Mountains and would love to have a weekend home there one day. But, it is no secret that there is one other place that I perhaps adore even more than the Catskills and have harbored the secret hope of having a weekend home there--Bucks County, PA.

I discovered this area only a few months ago and knew that Matt would love it too. We made plans to camp in the area and see the sights for this weekend. Earlier in the week when it looked like the weather would not cooperate, Matt was all for canceling the trip. I chose to ignore his request and held my ground that we had to visit.

Because I selfishly did so, I was worried about the weather and if Matt would find the area as adorable and quaint as I did. As the trip went on, I became more worried. Matt was running late on Friday and as I packed the car, it poured rain. Once we finally got on our way and went to hitch up to our RV, things looked like they were going to take a turn for the worse as I got pulled over for not yielding at a light. Luckily, I was given a warning and a lesson was learned.

The drive to the campsite was uneventful and we arrived after 9 p.m., the time the registration closes. To our luck, they waited. All seemed to go according to plan until we hooked up the RV, discovered there was no sewer and only a hose for water. While Matt was trying to connect to the water line, the hose split into two, stopping the water supply to us and the rest of the campsites below. We were able to find the camp site manager and they came to the rescue only after all of our neighbors came out to find out what happened to the water!

We woke up Saturday morning to a beautiful day--no rain. I was eager to show Matt the sights. So we loaded up into the car and headed to:

Our navigation led us down a major highway to get to New Hope and Matt was wondering what I thought was so beautiful about this. After a few miles on the highway we were directed to turn off on a small rural road. At a bend in the road, we came to this site:
Now, that's the charming Bucks County that I am talking about. From there the day perked up. We arrived in New Hope, parked the car and went for a stroll. New Hope is a cute artsy town along the Delaware River, so we headed over the bridge across the river:
and from the bridge, watched two sculling boats race. We also stopped to take the obligatory photos crossing the bridge:


Once across the river, we arrived in...in the town of Lambertville. We walked the Main Street and looked in shop windows. On a whim (and led by Matt) we entered an artist's studio and fell in love with the brightly hued florals on the walls. We looked at all the paintings hanging on the walls, perched on the floors and displayed in the courtyard and purchased two--one titled "Rosey Fun" and another of a tuscan village! We took one with us and we return next weekend for the larger of the two, after it has been signed by the artist--a good excuse to return to the area!

Enjoying the lovely day and the two darling towns, we crossed the bridge back into New Hope and had lunch here along the Delaware. Chloe was given bread rolls to tear apart and throw to the geese and ducks--a big hit with her!

After lunch, we strolled New Hope and then went to ride the steam train:

Chloe was very excited to ride the train.

Maybe a little too excited and worn out. About 20 minutes into the trip up the tracks, she was rocked to sleep by the train and remained that way for the duration of the trip until we got back to the car.

After our visit to New Hope, I drove Matt up the scenic and beautiful River Road... we drove all along the river, admiring the stone houses and towns. Chloe dozed for the drive but was livened up when we returned to the campsite and said we were going swimming:
She loves swimming and is quite the swimmer! She was moved up this past week to the next level of swimming and will be the youngest in the program!

After swimming we sat out by the camp fire, and enjoyed what we determined to be one of the loveliest weekends of the year in a lovely spot. It was a nice ending to a very enjoyable day. Of course, as is typical we were awoken by the tippy-toeing of a toddler into our bed at the wee hours of the morning to roll her rubber balls along the top of our bed. What a way to wake up! We will have to work on that one.

The weekend was fantastic and we are already planning our day trip next weekend to pick up our painting and maybe making a float trip down the river.

Way To Go Aunt Deanna

How my sister and I are genetically related is unbeknownest to me. I guess it proves that sharing DNA does not necessarily make you alike. My sister is athletic and likes to participate in sports that I wouldn't even dare think about. On August 9, she rode in the Leadville 100 mountain bike race. You may have heard something about it because the 7-time winner of the Tour de France placed 2nd in the event.

My sister rode the race in under 11 hours a got a gold buckle for the effort. WOW! I probably would have quit after 11 minutes.

A video of the duel between Lan*e Armstron* and the 1st place finisher was made. I've posted it for your viewing pleasure here.

Catskills

We went to the Catskills again this weekend for a little R&R. We happened upon a German Alps festival at Hunter Mountain. I left the camera in the RV thinking we were going hiking, so I only ended up with one photo of the weekend---Chloe climbing a rock wall at the festival. She was very determined and climbed up 16 feet in total.

Olympics

Chloe is very excited that the Olympics start today and easily went down for a nap so she could stay up to watch the Opening Ceremonies tonight. She has been requesting that we watch N*B*C's Universal Spo*rts channel that has been rerunning all of the U.S. qualifiying. She loves to watch swimming and gymnastics.

Last night we were watching the re-runs of the men's swimming and Chloe begins this conversation after we see a interview with Michael Phe*lps outside of the Forbidden City.

Chloe: "Why is he in China?"

Me: "Because that is where the Olympics are going to be and he is competing."

Chloe: "Is he Chinese?"

Me: "No, he is American but he is competing in China."

Chloe: "Where is China?"

Me: "It is in Asia."

Chloe: "No, how far is China? Is it too, too far?"

Me: "It is a long flight. It took us almost two days to fly to China."

Chloe: "I don't want to go to China. It's too far."

Me: "But you were born in China. You don't want to see the country of your birth? You made the trip before, you can make it again."

Chloe: "No, I don't want to go back. Its too far."

Me: "You don't want to go to China to meet Emma Claire?"

Chloe: "Well, I'll be as tall as you then. I can make the trip."

Chloe will return to China to see the land of her birth. I hope she isn't my height when we go to get our referral for Emma Claire!!! That's a little longer of a wait than we bargained for.

Coolest Suitcase on Earth

I have a friend from Newcomers that started her own on-line business--she sells items that make traveling with kids easier. Her store has way cute stuff and you can see all she has here. Last week she had an open house displaying some of her wares and Chloe and I attended. We ordered a new backpack, a lap desk and a the neatest children's suitcase known to man. Today she delievered the items to me.

Chloe and I tore into the packages and are still reeling from the high of discovering one of the coolest suitcases for kids. We are planning on taking some trips this next year and I think this little gem will come in very handy indeed. What a clever idea. Its for kids ages 3-6 and will hold a child up to 110 lbs. Chloe loves it and so do I. Can't wait to use it.

Botanical Garden

It was a beautiful Sunday today. The humidity was low and the skies were bright. A perfect day to be outdoors at the botanical garden.

If there is a stonewall, retaining wall, beam, etc. then Chloe is walking it. Matt calls her the "wall walker". No wall was left unwalked today at the garden.

Chloe and Mommy in the family garden.
Taking time to smell the roses.

Aquarium

Because the weather did not look like it would co-operate for the pool, Chloe and I chose to go here today-

Matt had an autocross event in southern Jersey, so Chloe and I had Saturday to ourselves. I had originally promised to take her to the pool, but I knew the weather wouldn't hold out--and I was right.

Since we joined the Wildli*fe Conser*vation Soc*iety two years ago, we have used our passes to the Br*onx Zoo and to the Cent*ral Pa*rk Zoo. We had never been to the aquarium. So, with rain on its way, I decided it would be the day to go.

The NY aquarium is on Con*ey Island and I couldn't help taking a stroll down the boardwalk while the weather was nice. I took a photo of Chloe in front of the "Wonder Wheel" ferris wheel as it is the centerpiece of one of her favorite Dan Zane songs.

As for the aquarium itself, its great. We got a sea lion show and all the outdoor sites before the rain. We managed to stay out of the rain for the rest of the time by going into the inside exhibits. Since we are members, its all free, so it was a great way to spend a Saturday.

Other than lunch, this is the only other item I spent money on at the aquarium...it was taken on the way in to the aquarium and since it was just Chloe and I, I had to have a picture to document the event.

Chloe on a model of a walrus. The real thing is to the right swimming behind six inches of glass.

Chloe coloring her aquarium button. It cost $1 to make but a nice lady who brought her 3 kids bought one for Chloe because her kids couldn't make up their minds which button they wanted and took a long time. She thought Chloe waited patiently.